Fish-curing machine



W. F. SCHALLER.

FISH CURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 25. 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. F. SCHALLER.

FISH CURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

hazjzazzeh w. F. SCHALLEB. FISH CURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1920- Paten July 26, 1921.

HEETS-SHEET 3.

W. F. SCHALLER.

FISH CURING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25, 1920.

Patented July 26, 1921.

4 suns-sneer 4.

INVENTOR.

ATTORN UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

FISH-CURING. MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 25, 1920. Serial No. 361,216.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. SOHAL- LER, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful F ish-Curing Machine, of which the following is a specification in such full and clear terms as will enable those skilled in the art to construct and use the same.

This invention relates to fish curing machines and its object is to provide a machine of the type described which will be capable of most eiliciently using the heat from the furnace.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby a series of smoke pipes in the curing machine will be so located as to deliver the most heat therefrom to the trays while at the same time means is provided to efliciently distribute the heat and to prevent the direct heat from the smoke pipes from unevenly drying the trays carrying the materials to be cured in the lower part of the machine.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that in the building of machines such as are herein described it will be necessary to provide for the equal distribution of the heat throughout all the trays as well as to prevent the direct heating of any one tray more than another, to prevent the materials upon that tray from being unequally cured in respect to the other trays in the machine.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings in which the same reference number is used throughout, but I am aware that there may be modifications thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine on a slightly larger scale than Fig. 1 showing the front removed.

*ig. 3 is a plan View of a portion of the machine.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the machine just above the smoke pipe.

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectiona view of the machine. 1

Fig. 6 is a plan view, and

F ig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the heating distribution chambers.

The machine comprises a rectangular casing 1 supported by a plurality of channel iron posts as indicated from 2 to 6 inclusive Fig. 2, similar posts being placed upon each side of the machine as indicated in the plan View in Fig. 4.

The outside walls of the casing extend to the top of the posts and are roofed over by means of inclined sides 7 and 8, having vertical extensions 9 and 10 spaced some distance from each other. At the end of the machine and'at intervals there are vertical supports 11 for a curved roof 12 which extends over the top of the spaces between the members 9 and 10 and in order to prevent the too rapid loss of heat from the machine, the space between. the roof 12 and the members 9 and 10 is obstructed by vertical wings 13 and 14 supported on a plurality of brackets 15zand 16. The roof members 7 and 8 are also connected together at intervals by means of cross bars 17 The casing is much longer than it is wide, and much higher than the width and the furnace 19 is located near the center of the bottom of the casing. The furnace is fed through the fire door 20 and the ashes removed through door 21. The furnace has gratebars 22 and side and end walls 23, 24, 25, over which is placed a cover 26 to vent the flame from.directly striking the smoke pipes which open in the side and end walls of the 'furnace' The furnace is in closed by means of a rectangular casing From such casing extending toward both ends of the curing machine, there are a series of smoke pipes as indicated at 28 to 35 inclusive. The smoke pipes 28 to 35 extend outside the furnace and into suitable heat insulated headers 36-37 from which headers vertical heat insulated pipes 38-39 extend to the top of the casing 1 where they connect with pipes 38 39 extending longitudinally of the main casing 1 which are in turn connected with the chimney 40. 7

Above the top of the furnace casing 27 are two sets of screens, 41 a fixed screen and 42 and 43 a fixed screen and a movable screen, the latter screen having handles 44 outside the casing for the adjustment and regulation of the quantity of air passing through the openings in the screen 42.

Since it is not possible to depend on the distribution of heat by convection, a fan 50 is provided, which fan has an inlet pipe 51 extending into a long triangular foraminated box 52 just below the smoke pipes 38-39, a fan discharge pipe 53 extending down to the Patented July 26', 1921.

bottom of the casing and into a triangular foraminated box 54 so that by the operation of the fan the air is continuously transferred from the top of the casing to the bottom and the only air which escapes at the top of the casing is that air which happens to carry more moisture than therequirements of the machine demand.

A series of ventilating doors 55, are provided along the bottom of the casing and a series of similar ventilating doors 56 are provided along the casing just above the end of the screens 43.

The trays 57 are put into the machine on angle irons 58 59 which are supported ,by the posts to which the sides of the casing are connectedand said traysare inserted through hinged doors 5859' each of which is ,provided with a window as indicatedat 60-961. In operation, the material to be cured is placed upon the trays 57 and the condition of the material is observed from time to time through the windowsas the curing proceeds and the condition of the air is'regulated by opening the dampers 55-56 tosuch extent as necessary.

In the curingof fish it is necessary to alternately cool and heat it and this object is easily accomplished by closing the screens 42, 43 and opening the ventilators 56. When the ventilating doors 56 are open the cold air is drawn into the machine through all the traysand discharged from the doors 55.

What I claim is as follows, but various modifications may be made in the construction shown in the drawings .andabove ,particularly described form, within the purview of my invention: 7

1. A fish curing machine comprising a casing, a furnace inthe lower portion of said casing, heating pipes extending from the furnace through the lower portion of the casing and into the upper portion thereof, a series of tray supports and two foraminated partitionsover thelower heating pipes to equalize the heat upon thetrays.

2. A, machine of the class described comprising a casing having an open ventilator at the top, a furnace at the bottom ofthe casing, hea ting pipes extending from the furnace along thebottomof the casingand returning through the top of the casing, tray supports within the casing, a pair of foraminated partitions over the heating pipesand a foraminated plate for regulating the openings in one of said partitions to regulate the heat deliverytozthe trays.

3. A machine ofthe class describedcomprising a casing, a plurality of ,tray supports therein, a furnace atthebottom ofthe casing, heating pipes extending along the.

' bottom of the casing and returningthrough the top of the casing, a foraminated'heat distributing box adjacent the heating pipes in th p bott m of thecas and a fan for discharging the air from the upper heat "distributing box through the lower heat distributing box. 7

4. A-machine of the class described comprising a casing, a plurality of tray supports therein, a' furnace adjacent the bottom of the casing, heating pipes along the bottom of the casing and returning through thetop of the casing, a pair of foraminated partitions above the furnace, heating pipes to regulate the heat delivery to the trays, a'

foraminated damper plate resting upon one of said partitionsfor regulating the quantity of air passing through the openings thereof, an outside damper through the 'casing and between the two foraminated partitions, and means to transfer air from the upper portion of the casing to the lower portion ofthe c s n 5. A machine oft'he class described com prising a casing having a plurality of trays supported therein sidedoors through which the trays may be placed in the casing and removed therefrom, a pair of foraminated partitions one over the other in the lower dampers between said foraminated parti tions and below them, and means to allow the escape of excessive moisture at the top of the casing.

6. A machine of the class-described comprising a casing, a plurality of tray supports therein, doors to permit the insertion and removal of said trays, a pair of foraminated partitions below the tray supports, an outside damper between thetwo foraminateol partitions, means to regulate the quantity of air passingthrough one of said foraminated partitions, a furnace in the lower portion ofthe casing, heating pipes extending therefrom outside the casing, other heating pipes in the upper portion of the casing, heat distributing boxes adjacent the upper and lower heating pipes and a fan adapted to drive air fromthe upperheat distributing box to the'lower heat distributthroughout the machine. I

- In;testimony,wher.eof I have hereunto set my hand this 17 day of Feb A. D. 1920.

' WILLIAM r. soH LLnn.

. ing box for equalizing the temperature 

